


Early Day

by SarcasticGhoul



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4935106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticGhoul/pseuds/SarcasticGhoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee Shop AU<br/>Adjusting to a few extra hours at work, Ruby has a chance encounter with a certain woman in a coffee shop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Early Day

**Author's Note:**

> A RQW Exchange drop-out.

“Early day?”

 

Ruby lifted her head sluggishly from the small table she was seated at, hiding a yawn behind her palm as the older gentleman who owned the establishment she found herself at set down her coffee and breakfast sandwich in front of her.

 

“Late night, more like it. Thanks,” She shrugged. He nodded sympathetically as he pressed on with about as much subtlety as a newspaper headline, “Never see you in here before 10 usually, though.”

 

Opening one of the cartons of creamer, Ruby watched the white liquid swirl with the darker base of the coffee in her mug as she replied with a simple, “Nope,” without

 

looking up. She smirked to herself when he took in a deep breath, wanting to press further but not knowing how to do so in the most polite fashion. The old man was kind enough, but he was a gossip if Ruby had ever seen one. If anything weren’t running to the normal schedule, you could be sure he’d be there, hovering about, looking for an explanation.

 

And hover he did, for a few more moments at least as Ruby stirred in a couple of packets of sugar after the creamer, leaning her chin against her other hand, well aware of his presence, but ignoring it for the sheer reason that she knew it would drive him insane, wondering what had affected her schedule to be in at the café at opening instead of the normal 10:15 or so.

 

She wasn’t just being obstinate for the sheer purpose of it, though. Truth was, the story wasn’t that interesting. One of her coworkers was on vacation and Ruby had to take care of their clients. Just so happened that they operated on a night shift while Ruby normally worked a late morning shift.

 

While she wasn’t too ecstatic about the early hours, she was looking forward to the financial bonus that would come her way for taking them on. Not to mention covering her coworker’s shift was a favor she could cash in later.  

 

“Well, enjoy your breakfast, if you need anything just give a shout,” The older man finally stated, a bit sadly, and for a moment Ruby almost felt guilty for not sharing her nonexistent stories with the man. It occurred to her, glancing around the tiny dining room of the café…she was the only one there. The man was a horrible gossip, but more than that, he probably didn’t get many customers in there until the normal morning commute rush, which wouldn’t be for another—Ruby woke up the screen of her phone—hour or so.

 

Lowering her mug back to its saucer, Ruby turned her torso, slinging one arm over the back of her chair to give her leverage to look over at the man, who had retreated behind the counter and was fiddling with the recently-updated touchscreen register.

 

“Did you hear about the power outage at the Legacy units?”

 

The older man turned his head up to listen to her, but it wasn’t until his eyes had finally lifted away from his task and he looked up to see Ruby watching him, waiting for a response, that he perked up, smiling as he eagerly replied, “Oh yeah. Everyone’s talking about rats getting into the wiring, but I heard that a bunch of teenagers were loitering around the area shortly before.”

 

Ruby listened to the surprisingly detailed explanation of what must have happened, that he had pieced together with different information from different sources...and while she didn't believe the story as a whole, she didn't doubt that some snippets of it must've been true.

 

However, the conversation did end with the two of them making a wager. The older man on hoodlums, and Ruby was putting her money on faulty wiring, with or without rats.

 

They'd know soon enough when the story ran in the paper, but until then she was more than happy to listen attentively as the man rambled on, going about his normal morning chores with perhaps a lighter spring to his step now that he was provided an audience and conversation companion.

 

It was actually surprisingly nice. Normally Ruby would order her choice of food or drink, or both, and then simply keep to herself while she enjoyed them. She found that sharing the company with somebody else? It was helping the time fly, and before she knew it, the leaders of the morning rush began to sprinkle in, and the owner excused himself to lend his attention to the new customers.

 

Ruby had begun surfing the Internet on her phone, checking normal news sites and the like, mooching off the café's free Wi-Fi. The owner passed by a little while after, once he'd taken care of the new customers, to mop the floor near her table, commenting that someone had spilt a drink the night before and the closing guy hadn't bothered to clean it properly. They chatted a bit more and then the task was complete and he was banished back behind the counter as a constant trickle of customers began, leaving Ruby to her own devices as she sipped her coffee

 

Ruby was scrolling through an article on her phone when the bell above the door jingled cheerfully, declaring the arrival of a new customer. With indifferent curiosity, she glanced up, as she had with most other arrivals that morning, only this time her eyes didn’t return immediately back to the screen.

 

The woman who had entered simply demanded attention and, quite frankly, Ruby was more than happy to give it. Nothing about the woman really broke her apart from the mold of any of the other businesswomen that had entered the café so far that morning and yet, break away she had and suddenly Ruby’s thoughts were that of an amateur poet, comparing the woman’s skin to flawless marble, her eyes to the dark roast of coffee that Ruby preferred, hair to the blackest night, and lips to…

 

The woman’s dark gaze shot over to the younger woman, and Ruby hastily turned her eyes back to her phone, pretending to have never ceased reading whatever article she’d been perusing…she couldn’t even remember what the topic had been.

 

Soybean shortage?

 

She could hear the lightest whisper of a scoff emit from the woman as she passed on her way to the register, and it occurred to Ruby, too late, that her screen had long since gone dark while she’d been gaping unabashedly at the stranger, and even after turning her attention back to her phone, it had slipped her mind to waken the screen again.

 

Feeling her cheeks heat up to a light shade of red for being caught, Ruby lifted her mug hastily to hide her slight embarrassment...however when she turned her gaze to glance over at the other woman again, she just barely caught her head turning to look at the owner behind the register, the faint traces of a smirk lingering across her rouge lips that Ruby couldn't help but think...hope...had been directed at her.

 

She woke her phone back up and she tried to turn her attention back to reading the article about soybeans, she really did, but it was no use. Taking more frequent sips of her coffee to provide her an excuse to glance around and catch another glimpse of the woman across the room, she couldn't help but lend her ears to the woman's words as she went through her order. No hesitation, no mulling things over. She knew what she wanted, and Ruby pitied anybody with the gall to refuse her, even in something so simple as a breakfast order.

 

Once she'd paid, she didn't go to find a seat, and Ruby's heart sunk for reasons she didn't quite understand. It meant the mysterious woman wouldn't be staying once she's acquired her order. In fact, she hovered near the counter, typing something out on her phone at a frantic pace, a determined furrow in her brow that was hard to miss, even from the angle Ruby was at.

 

Lifting her mug to take another sip, Ruby realized it was empty. That revelation actually puzzled her, she hadn't even realized she'd been going through her drink that fast. Staring at the mug skeptically a moment, she shrugged a shoulder at herself and slid out of her seat. The café provided one free refill for order-ins, might as well take up the offer.

 

Stepping up behind the businesswoman, Ruby waited patiently waited in line, doing her best not to bore holes in the woman's back or otherwise disturb her.

 

Turns out, maybe she should have, because when the owner returned with her drink, the woman grabbed it, still staring at her phone, clearly perturbed by whatever information was being presented to her on it, and she turned around and began walking at a speed that suggested she had somewhere to be, suddenly, as soon as possible. All without looking up.

 

The cup never stood a chance. It collapsed between the woman's hand and Ruby's shoulder, followed a moment later by the woman herself as she walked bodily into Ruby, not reacting swiftly enough to catch herself.

 

They both took a step back in surprise, Ruby also wincing a bit as broiling liquid dripped down her jacket sleeve onto her bare hand, and she shook her arm out, trying to rid it of the harmful liquid before it had a chance to touch her. The woman's coat had kept her mostly protected, although the coat itself was now quite ruined, and no doubt the liquid would find its way to the sleeves and collar of the white blouse she was wearing under it.

 

Looking up, meeting the woman's gaze, Ruby thought for a very strong moment that the woman was going to yell at her, blame her for it...and honestly Ruby probably would have gone along with it. However, something shifted in the woman's eyes and she frowned thoughtfully, "Excuse me, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?"

 

Her eyes looked pointedly down at Ruby's hand, part of it glowing an angry red from where the hot drink had burned her, and Ruby shrugged, "I'm fine, it happens."

 

"I hope you're not on your way to work and I ruined your outfit...?" The woman's voice trailed off warily, expecting the worst, but Ruby shook her head, easing away her fears as she replied, "I was actually heading home for a shower and change of clothes anyway. I bet you were on your way to work though?"

 

The woman didn't reply, turning around to throw the crumpled cup into the wastebasket and retrieve a few napkins from the counter. The owner of the café had disappeared to retrieve the mop again.

 

"I'm not too far from here," Ruby was speaking without thinking, and if she paused she might've kicked herself, but she didn't give herself that chance, powering onwards instead, "I could lend you a shirt and coat to borrow?"

 

The woman turned her head to look Ruby up and down with a slightly skeptical gaze, dabbing at her coat with some napkins, trying to keep the staining liquid from spreading, "You don't even know me, dear, and you're going to invite me into your home? What do you want in return?"

 

Ruby seemed a bit dumbfounded. She didn't expect anything in return, "I- uh...well, nothing."

 

"No one does anything for nothing."

 

Well, that was a bit of a pessimistic attitude. Had this woman never had someone do something nice for her for the sake of it? Smirking, the younger woman tilted her head to the side, "Okay, buy me a coffee tomorrow and we'll call it even."

 

"Are you going to spill it on me this time?"

 

Ruby rolled her eyes, which caused the woman to smirk, which sent a surge of pride through the taller woman for causing it.

 

Chucking the soiled napkins, the businesswoman sighed and turned to face Ruby again, "Okay, lead the way. I can't go to my meeting like this, and any clothing stores are blocks away."

 

Nodding, Ruby turned on her heel and led the way to the exit, opening the door for the woman who nodded appreciatively.

 

"Ruby Lucas, by the way," She introduced as she escorted the woman down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment.

 

"Regina Mills."

 

Ruby's eyes widened a bit and she turned her head to really look at the woman walking next to her...as though she hadn't already.

 

"As in the owner of Legacy Realty?"

 

"The one and only, dear," Regina smirked, eyes still facing forward.

 

Ruby nodded, turning her eyes ahead of them as well, and was silent for a few moments before she spoke up again suddenly, "Do you mind settling a wager for me?"


End file.
